At the
moment his favourite pro was how he could stare at the pretty
red-haired waitress for as long as he wanted. The con was that he had
no way of telling the pretty waitress his order. Or how beautiful she
was... asking her out... proposing...

God, he
needed to get some.

"I'll
be with you in a second!" The red head was talking to him. She
still had her back to him, doing one of those mysterious things with
a coffee machine that only seasoned baristas seem to understand.

How
did you know I was here? Dwayne scribbled on the pad, when she
finally turned back.

"Sixth
sense. My brother's deaf so I've grown up with silent people. It
also means I can understand sign language, you needn't bother with
the pad!"

She had
a lovely smile. With sweet dimples at the corners – and her red
hair was in tight corkscrew curls which obviously had nothing to do
with a curling iron.

That
was the other thing about silence – it made you appreciate your
other senses more.

Dwayne
realised she was signing now and quickly shook his head, scribbling
on the pad again:

Not
deaf. Vow of silence.

"Huh.
May I ask why?"

Long
story. Too long to tell in a line for Coffee.

"Fair
enough. What do you want... Dwayne right?"

Americano.
How'd you know my name... Sixth sense again?

She
giggled. "It's written on the cover of the pad."

Dwayne
sighed. And it had been going so well.

I'm
a dork.

"Nuh-uh!
Well kinda... But..." the red head blushed. " I think you're
cute."

Dwayne
felt drunk – though he'd never knowingly been drunk he had a good
imagination. (Pro).

This
girl was the first – the only girl to laugh with, rather
than at him. And he was flirting! If there was one thing Dwayne
Hoover never did it was flirt – although to be fair he didn't do
a lot... Perhaps it was time to start a new way of life.

Simpsons
reference. Uncultured child *TUT*.

Little
red giggled again. "I'm sorry I just have this thing called a
life. You really oughta get one..."

Ouch.

"Just
kidding."

I
know ;).

Oh God
did he just do the wink face? The mark of an imbecile. But She didn't
seem to mind. Dwayne realised suddenly that She was becoming
capitalised in his mind – like saying God (and that disturbingly,
even his thoughts were beginning to take written form).

A
middle aged man, paunchy of stomach and balding of head pushed in
front of him, shouting out, "Hey kid move it along! You're
holdin' up the line!"

Con:
People under vows of silence couldn't answer pushy bastards like
that guy back.

Better
move along.

"I'll
bring the coffee over." She smiled that dimpled smile again.

The
redhead brought the coffee over to his table – secluded, near a
back door through which he could escape if someone too loud or
obnoxious came in. Back door leading onto an alley. Typical
Dwayne-ish hideout.

The
Americano came, and the redhead went, too fast for Dwayne to grab his
pad. He kicked the table, not too hard, just enough to vent some of
that frustration that came from silence: con.

Idly he
turned over a napkin while his coffee cooled to a drinkable degree.
And there it was, in neat blue handwriting. Her message.

Dwayne
–

My
name's Sarah but my friends call me Saz. I'm interested in the
story behind your vow – but I'm way more interested in you: the
guy behind the fringe and the silence. Girls get shy too y'know...
that's why I understand how it's easier to write down things
you're too scared to say out loud. Maybe we could meet up sometime
and you could tell me your story?

And
then... An email address! A cell phone number!

Dwayne
kicked the table again, spilling hot coffee all over it. He was too
high to care. Clutching his sacred napkin he ran out the back door
and halfway down the back alley.

Breathless
from his thundering heart he leaned his head against the wall. When
he'd gathered his wits he looked up, suddenly overwhelmed by an
overpowering, unbearable urge.

There
was no one here. Even if there was, who'd notice, who'd care?
Nobody would know...

Only
Dwayne would know. His breath came quick and his cheeks were flushed
with the effort – physical effort, who knew it would be this hard?

Dwayne
breathed in deep, trying to master himself, gain control.

But
instead of a breathy exhalation something else whispered through the
air, so quick it could have been a breeze on the wind.

"I'm
in love. "

He
moved towards the bustling street, thinking about how words when
seldom spoken were a delicious treat. He moved back towards his
bizarre family, and his everyday life, full of drudgery to the
obnoxious queue jumpers of his world.

But
Dwayne didn't think of those things. He thought only of the two
loves of his life: Silence and Sarah.

So
silence has a lot of pros, mused Dwayne Hoover as he sauntered
out of the back alley behind a Coffee shop. The biggest con is,
it's never going to last forever.

I was thinking. Dwayne's a simple soul – he'd like his girls
quirky and his coffee black!

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